3-080 - Beyond Numeracy: Varied Predictors of Mathematics Knowledge

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Math knowledge is a critical academic skill emerging early in development. Current theories focus primarily on contributions of numeracy skills, but recent evidence reveals other important predictors of math development. This symposium explores studies examining important yet overlooked academic and general cognitive skills and experiences contributing to math development.

The first two studies focus on a non-numeracy component of early math knowledge: patterning. The first study shows that patterning at preschool entry already predicts children’s emerging math understandings beyond general cognitive skills and specific numeracy skills. A second larger-scale study shows that in kindergarteners, non-alphanumeric patterning mid-year is linked to mathematics knowledge at the year’s end, and mediates the effect of beginning-of-the-year executive function on this knowledge, controlling for numeracy and other general cognitive skills. The third study shows that low-income children’s social problem-solving predicts their math knowledge at school entry as well as growth in mathematics over the preschool year, beyond age and language. The fourth study illustrates that executive function and language skills among low-income children at age 5 mediate the link between age 9 mathematics knowledge and preschool learning experiences, beyond prior language, executive function, and concurrent numeracy skills.

These projects highlight a need for theory and research of mathematics development that encompass more than numeracy skills, including both math specific skills such as patterning, more general skills such as social problem solving, language, and executive function, and experiences. Practically this research informs state standards on what content is important for math instruction and learning.

Sub Unit

• Cognitive Processes

Chair

• Erica L Zippert, Vanderbilt university

Individual Presentations

• More Than Numeracy, Patterning Predicts Early Mathematics - Presenting Author: Erica L Zippert, Vanderbilt university; Non-Presenting Author: Kelsey Clayback, Vanderbilt University; Non-Presenting Author: Bethany Rittle-Johnson, Vanderbilt University

• Pattern understanding is a predictor of early reading and arithmetic skills - Presenting Author: Kelly Burgoyne, University of Manchester, Australian Catholic University; Non-Presenting Author: Stephanie Malone, Australian Catholic University; Non-Presenting Author: Arne Lervag, University of Oslo; Non-Presenting Author: Charles Hulme, University of Oxford

• Baseline inequalities: Social skills as moderator of low-income preschoolers’ early math trajectories - Presenting Author: Bonnie Mackintosh, Harvard University; Non-Presenting Author: Meredith Rowe, Harvard University

• Exploring the Mechanisms Between the Classroom Quality in Early Childhood and Mathematics in Middle Childhood - Presenting Author: Irem Korucu, Purdue University; Non-Presenting Author: Sara Schmitt, Purdue University